Before You Go. |Lee Know

(Ten)

Flashback :

"I promise that I'll finish the anniversary thing and I'll come back quickly." Said the boy with squishy cheeks through the phone. He was sitting in the back of his family's car, with his left and right being occupied by his two sleepy sisters.

"Take your time, buddy. I'm not going into the surgery until midnight." Said his friend through the phone.

"Are you on your way to the hospital now?"

"Not yet but I'm leaving soon. I'll have to do a few more checkups."

"Good luck, buddy. I'll be there. I promise."

The two friends hung up and the boy rested his heavy head on his sister's shoulder. She wasn't sleeping deeply so, she sensed his movement. She quickly opened her eyes and pushed the boy away.

"That's mean." He whined.

"I'm not your pillow. Back off." She scolded him.

"Don't start a fight, kids." Said their mother who was in the passenger's seat.

"Is Minho okay, son?" The dad who was driving asked.

"Yes, dad. He's still holding up well."

"The poor boy has gone through a lot at a very young age." Said their mother.

"Is that your dying friend?" Asked the mean sister.

"Can you be more considerate? Harsh!" He glared at his sister.

"What? You mentioned before that he's dying. I didn't say anything wrong."

The boy's face went gloomy and his tears were building up at the corners of his eyes. Thinking of his best friend telling him that this surgery was going to be his last and that if it didn't work out, he would be counting his days, broke the boy's heart.

"Life is not fair, really." The boy protested to his thoughts.

"Young man!" His dad called. "Don't be that pessimistic. He'll be okay. He's a strong boy. Don't worry much. Think positively so you can cheer him up later. We'll finish the ancestors' anniversary soon and I'll be dropping you by the hospital."

"Okay. Thank you, dad!" He said, dropping his head. His sister nudged him. "What?" He huffed.

"Pray for him instead of whining. Look how the sky has gone crazy. It's a thunderstorm in the middle of a spring day. When the sky goes crazy, miracles happen. So, your prayers might actually save him."

"A heart transplantation would save him, stupid." The boy snapped.

"Then pray for him to get the heart he needs."

The girl winked at her little brother. She was always mean to him but not that mean. They were typical bickering siblings. She plugged in her earphones and set her favorite song to full volume. Her brother looked at her then he pulled her arm and placed it around his shoulder, resting his head in the crook of her neck. Then he picked up one of her earphones and plugged it into his ear.

His other sister at his left opened her eyes and looked at the scene of her little siblings being quiet for once. She placed her hand on the back of the boy and started caressing it up and down before she shoves her eyes to the road, to be faced with the horrible upcoming scene.

***

Minho stepped out of the car and walked along with his mother who was carrying a bag of his belongings. They were walking into the hospital where he was supposed to have his surgery. Minho and his mother finished the check-in procedures and then headed to the reception near the emergency room where he was supposed to wait to get his blood samples taken.

Minho was waiting for his name to be called. He was looking at the ground, tracing circles with his colorful sneakers when he heard the ambulance sirens and the hospital's sound system went on calling for the doctors immediately at the emergency room. The doctors ran outside towards the main door to wait for the patients who were arriving any second.

"How many patients?" Asked one of the doctors passing by Minho.

"Five. A family car crashed. They slipped on the road by the mountain due to the rain." A nurse replied.

"Conditions?"

"The parents have severe injuries. They've been applying CPR on them since they arrived at the crash site. The three kids ar-"

The main door was opened and the rescue team was rushing in, strolling the injured family. It was still raining heavily outside. The bodies carried were all drenched with rain and blood. The scene went chaotic and doctors started running here and there to check on the patients.

Minho's eyes fell on a face that he could recognize even if it was covered in blood. He froze. He wanted to scream but he couldn't. His face went white and cold as ice as if all his blood escaped his face. His lips were trembling, trying to call a name. That wasn't right! It was not supposed to be his friend on one of those hospital beds. It was supposed to be him.

Minho stood up to his wobbly feet and followed the ER team to the white cold room with slow heavy steps. Hearing the doctors saying that the parents couldn't make it. Hearing the doctors calling the siblings names. His friend was totally unconscious. Cold. Pale. Soaked in rain and blood.

"H-Han Jisung." Minho called faintly.

His friend wasn't answering.

"Mr. you can't be here! Please leave the room now." A female nurse said.

Minho's eyes were diverted from the female to the girl laying next to his friend. She was wearing an oversized black hoodie, sky blue jeans that had gone into a mix of red, brown, and dark blue from the blood, mud, and rain, and a pair of sneakers resembling his.

He looked at her face. Her eyes were slightly open, looking at him. They made eye contact for a fraction of seconds before the boy feels a throbbing pain in his heart. He clenched his chest and crouched down to the floor. Everything was going hazy around the aching boy.

More doctors and nurses were coming in. Voices were loud enough to turn a man into a deaf. His heart pain was increasing loads. The beep sounds from the machines were going louder and louder. Those were more painful than his chest pain. The boy moved his hands to his ears, blocking the sounds. He couldn't help but start screaming, then everything went black.

It was only darkness and beep sounds.